Printed Circuit Board Basics: An Introduction to the Pcb Industry

Rating:
Summary: PCB
Review: I want to learn more advanced information on PCB

Rating:
Summary: A really basic book
Review: PCB Basics is just as it says--basic. It gives you a very brief overview of what PCBs are and how they are manufactured. It goes into some amount of detail in how a "typical" PCB is constructed, but that is about all. For someone with almost no knowledge about PCBs specifically, it gives a nice overview of some basic vocabulary.

My biggest complaint about this book is that it seemed outdated, despite the most recent edition of it being published at the very end of 1997. The technology it discusses is typically mid-1980s or very early 1990s. I don't know if the PCB manufactures are that behind the times, but I find it hard to believe that the current drilling machines are still communicated to via punch tapes and that customers are still sending their CAD files via data tapes.

Fortunately, the technology being a little outdated doesn't affect the primary discussion much--how a PCB is manufactured. While the tools may be a little more sophisticated the basic process is still the same.

This is a decent book if you want a basic introduction to PCBs, but don't count on it for a large amount of detail or any design help.

Rating:
Summary: A really basic book
Review: PCB Basics is just as it says--basic. It gives you a very brief overview of what PCBs are and how they are manufactured. It goes into some amount of detail in how a "typical" PCB is constructed, but that is about all. For someone with almost no knowledge about PCBs specifically, it gives a nice overview of some basic vocabulary.

My biggest complaint about this book is that it seemed outdated, despite the most recent edition of it being published at the very end of 1997. The technology it discusses is typically mid-1980s or very early 1990s. I don't know if the PCB manufactures are that behind the times, but I find it hard to believe that the current drilling machines are still communicated to via punch tapes and that customers are still sending their CAD files via data tapes.

Fortunately, the technology being a little outdated doesn't affect the primary discussion much--how a PCB is manufactured. While the tools may be a little more sophisticated the basic process is still the same.

This is a decent book if you want a basic introduction to PCBs, but don't count on it for a large amount of detail or any design help.

Rating:
Summary: Good basic information
Review: There are plenty of PCB books out there, but Flatt's Printed Circuit Board Basics seems to be the only one that brings it all together in a basic, short, orderly format. If you don't mind searching through four or five hundred pages for basic info on PCBs then the other books are fine. But why do that, when Flatt's book does it for you.

He gives you a good idea of the steps of how a standard PCB is manufactured. Although a few steps maybe outdated (ex. punch cards). There are even some IPC and Mil-Spec standards given, but here again some standards maybe outdated (but you can find the latest versions on the web).

The title of the book says it all. Get the book if you want a basic foundation on PCBs.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, A Good Book on PCB Basics
Review: There are plenty of PCB books out there, but Flatt's Printed Circuit Board Basics seems to be the only one that brings it all together in a basic, short, orderly format. If you don't mind searching through four or five hundred pages for basic info on PCBs then the other books are fine. But why do that, when Flatt's book does it for you.

He gives you a good idea of the steps of how a standard PCB is manufactured. Although a few steps maybe outdated (ex. punch cards). There are even some IPC and Mil-Spec standards given, but here again some standards maybe outdated (but you can find the latest versions on the web).

The title of the book says it all. Get the book if you want a basic foundation on PCBs.

Rating:
Summary: Good basic information
Review: This book was a good introduction for someone completely unfamiliar with PCB's. The other reviewers are very correct that it is out of date by at least 10 years, but it is a good book.